Black Pepper and Slow-Cooked Onion Spaghetti
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking.
Spaghetti wrapped in a silky sauce of onions slow-cooked in olive oil for an hour, finished with tarragon and plenty of black pepper.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
Unlock all flavours with Premium
This flavour is part of Premium. You can see the ingredients and nutrition; the quantities and the full method are for members.
Premium: $4.99/month or $39.99/year.
Equipment
- large lidded casserole or deep frying pan
- large pot (at least 5 litres)
- colander or tongs
- heatproof mug for pasta water
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 660 kcal |
| Protein | 15.9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 80.4 g |
| of which sugars | 9.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 31 g |
| of which saturates | 5.4 g |
| Fibre | 5.8 g |
| Salt | 2.15 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.4 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 4 servings
Onions
- 120 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 450 g white onions (about 3), sliced 5 mm thick
- 225 g red onion (1 medium), sliced 5 mm thick
- 3 g fine sea salt or table salt about ½ tsp
Pasta
- 340 g dried spaghetti or bucatini
Pasta water
- 24 g fine salt for 3 litres of pasta water (0.8%) about 4 tsp; most of it goes down the drain
To finish
- 2 tbsp tarragon leaves
- 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 30 g Parmesan, finely grated
- 1
Sweat the onions. Put the oil and both onions in the casserole over medium heat. When they sizzle, cook 5-7 min until they begin to wilt but have not browned.
- 2
Slow-cook. Stir in the salt, cover, turn the heat to low and cook about 1 h, stirring now and then, until very soft and translucent but still in strands. The lid traps the steam so they turn silky and sweet without colouring; add a spoon of water if they catch.
- 3
Cook the pasta. Boil the spaghetti in 3 litres salted water until al dente. Save about 350 ml of the water and drain.
- 4
Toss. Add the pasta, the tarragon and about 120 ml of the water to the onions. Turn the heat to medium-high and stir hard for 1-2 min until glossy, adding more water if needed.
- 5
Serve. Pile into bowls and finish with Parmesan and plenty of black pepper.
Storage
Cool and refrigerate in an airtight container within 2 hours for up to 2 days. Reheat in a pan with a splash of water until piping hot (74 °C).
